Mrs South Africa finalist Lechar Knezovich has had quite an interesting life. At 23 years old she landed a job as an air-hostess for Emirates Airlines and Dubai became her home for 4 and half years.

• Lechar has lived in 4 cities and travelled to 40 cities – her favourite being Japan.
• She swum with whale sharks in the open sea in the Philippines and has launched her own supportive bra company, Perfect Fit.
• When she thinks of Sandton, she thinks of high-rise buildings, great social scenes and opportunities awaiting around the corner.
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She was born in Kwa-Zulu Natal, moved to Cape Town where her sister was born and then moved back to Kwa-Zulu Natal. When she met her future husband Glen, she moved back to Johannesburg. Lechar currently stays with him on a plot in Midrand with her adorable sausage dog, Tyson.

Why did you decide to enter Mrs South Africa? I entered Mrs South Africa for a few reasons; because I wanted to use the platform to expand my brand Perfect Fit and create more awareness for breast cancer survivors. I also have a passion for entrepreneurship which I hope to expand into with small businesses. I wanted to walk into rooms with people that I aspire to be like and push myself out of my comfort zone by speaking confidently in a crowd.

You’ve also launched a gym wear range – tell us a bit more about this? Perfect Fit is a supportive bra company that helps to restore confidence in women. It has a charitable heart that with every purchase a percentage goes to the reconstructive surgery for ladies that have undergone a mastectomy and cannot afford, but want to have reconstruction done. I felt there were not many supportive bras out there and our lives have become more active. Gym changed my life and I think if you look good and feel supported in your gym wear then you going to knock out that session.

The name Perfect Fit comes from my maiden name, Perfect. A sublte influence that I didn’t realise at the time was going to work with my gran as a child. My gran Charmaine Perfect, used to work as a quality control manager for Woolworths. We would go up and down the rows of seamstresses and inspect the clothing together. My uncle worked for Playtex and my father was a suit and wedding dress designer, and my aunt still to this day sells fabric. As you can see I was surrounded by exquisite craftmanship from a young age and it makes me super excited to have launched my own range.

What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done? I absolutely love being spontaneous and I gravitate towards those rare people that are equally like this! I have so many moments but here are a few:

• Going to the Emirates interview – my friend told me about a week before and said why don’t we try it. Ironically, she couldn’t make the interview on the day and there I was alone at the interview and I kept making every round until I was one of the last few and then I was off to Dubai with my new career as an airhostess.
• My friend and I booked a trip the night before to Bangkok, we arrived and didn’t have a clue where we were going to stay and linked up to the airport internet where we booked our accommodation and somewhat planned our adventure.

How important is it for a model to look good at all times? I believe Confidence is a superpower! There is value in putting effort into the way you look as it increases your confidence which ultimately opens doors for you. When you look good you feel good. You got your job because you put effort into your appearance, you found your partner this way too so why not show up for yourself everyday as well. Let’s close those deals in heels!

Can you tell us a peculiarity about you? I love facts. If you want to have me engrossed in a conversation tell me about something I can learn or lets discuss something of relevance. I’ve never stopped studying and my dad, from a young age, would speak to me about the most interesting topics that he read. I think this may be why, I’m too curious. When I was a kid I used to love chappies because I could open the wrapper and read all the ‘Did You Knows’?

If you had an extra 30-minutes in each day, what would you do and why? I’d spend more time with my dog Tyson playing ball or taking him for more walks. He’s 14 years old now but still full of spunk. He makes me smile every time I see him. I always wonder if dogs get bored of the same food, so I give him something small and random to try. For example he loves broccoli.

How does your own positive attitude bring about a change in others? I think a positive mind is everything. The most amazing thing I have witnessed from this is how it can become contagious. For example, the ladies I manage at work, I’ve watched grown in confidence and body positivity through this. I’m genuinely so proud of them. I want them to be absolute powerhouses and know they can do anything they can set their mind to.

What do people misunderstand about entering a pageant? How much work goes into it. If you want to win you will need to work hard, a beauty pageant has the potential to open doors for you that you only dreamed of – are you willing to work for it? You want to look back and regret nothing because you worked your butt off. What I underestimated is just how much you will learn about yourself through this process and that is crucial! You won’t be able to answer one of those difficult questions on stage if you don’t know who and what you stand for.

What would you say makes you stand out? I think our cause and purpose is what make us stand out and each lady has a beautiful cause. I think it’s important to ask the question, what you want to achieve should you win Mrs South Africa because it’s more than a crown, it’s an extension of your purpose. I can’t compare myself to the other ladies because they all amazing, I should be asking you guys! I believe that you need to remain humble, remain gracious and be forever grateful for the most amazing opportunity of coming even this far as a finalist. We were 100 ladies and now we are 30, we all want that beautiful crown.

Never have I ever… been able to wink. I literally cannot wink guys.

The Grand Finale & Crowning of Mrs South Africa 2022 will take place on November 11 at Emperors Palace.

Visit Lechar Knezovich Instagram profile for more.

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